When’s the best time to kill your mascot?

If ever there was a time, it would be during the Super Bowl — the biggest live TV event of the year in the US.

In 2020, Planters killed off their 104-year-old mascot, Mr. Peanut. 

10 days before the game, Planters dropped an ad online where Mr. Peanut sacrifices himself to save his buddies in a fiery crash.

Searches for Mr. Peanut soared. It got tons of press. Other brands even paid their respects.

Then during the game, Mr. Peanut was laid to rest. But miraculously, he was reborn as “Baby Nut” by the sweet, healing tears of the Kool-Aid Man. 

It gave the brand a pulse for the first time in decades. 

🧐 It was the top-trending topic on Twitter — twice.

🧐 they got 7,900 media mentions & 11 billion media impressions.

🧐 It had 98% brand linkage.

🧐 And sales went up 900% (that’s 9X!) in Q1 2020.

They continued the campaign for a year or so as Baby Nut grew up.

Even though it does seem a bit of a one-off stunt, it’s a lovely tale of reinvigorating a sleepy heritage brand.

A couple LESSONS:

🧐 Your #1 job is most likely to get people thinking of & remembering your brand AT ALL. 

🧐 Be creative about how you get attention. Creativity multiplies the power of your media spend.

🧐 Use & build on your classic brand assets.